The owners of smash-hit cartoon show Peppa Pig are facing a backlash over a potential £7.6m no-strings share award and bumper pay rise for long-serving boss Darren Throop.

Leading advisory firms ISS and PIRC have urged shareholders to vote against Entertainment One’s plans which would see Throop’s basic pay top £900,000 by 2019 and the same year award him shares worth £7.6m at today’s value.

In the driving seat: Cartoon show Peppa Pig has been a smash hit for Entertainment One

The criticism comes despite the phenomenal success of the children’s TV programme featuring a family of pigs, which has helped push the Canadian media firm’s shares up more than 150 per cent since it listed in London ten years ago.